Mayawati plays hardball, sending Congress a warning in Hindi heartland

After warning earlier this week of pulling out of gathbandhans if not given a respectable share of seats, BSP supremo Mayawati has made the first move by entering into an alliance in Chhattisgarh with Congress rebel Ajit Jogi’s new outfit. She has also announced candidates over 20 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh in a sign of hardening positions. BSP was hoping for an alliance with Congress in all states where the former has a political presence but Congress has been cool to the idea, preferring to strike a deal only in MP and Uttar Pradesh, and to a lesser extent in Chhattisgarh.

Congress wariness can be traced to the the disastrous tie up PV Narasimha Rao struck with Kanshi Ram for 1996 UP polls which helped spur BSP’s growth at its expense. Congress worries that BSP could grow in other states by piggybacking on it. But then BSP has supported Congress in Rajya Sabha elections in UP and MP and propped it up in the Uttarakhand assembly during the challenge to the Harish Rawat government. However, by upping the stakes vis-a-vis tie-ups with Congress, Mayawati may well be playing spoiler rather than gaining much.

Congress has a tough call to make between ousting Narendra Modi in 2019 and ceding space for potential allies. Mayawati appears to be under no such compulsion and is seeking to maximise her political advantage at a time when new Dalit forces are emerging. While BJP would be pleased by the new developments, all sides know that Uttar Pradesh is the real prize. An SP-BSP alliance in UP will give BJP a tough time. But even SP may be alarmed by BSP’s aggressive stance towards Congress. With Mayawati keeping everyone guessing, the reality is that anti-BJP forces are not just trying to win back what was lost to BJP but also attempting to gain at each other’s expense.